1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinge device and, more particularly, to a hinge device in which a slider elastically supported by a compressive coil spring contacts with a pivotal lever installed on a cover swinging open or closed so as to be able to increase a free stop section and simultaneously to prevent the cover from being incidentally open.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such hinge devices are devices that support a cover, which is installed on an upper portion of the main body of a product and swings to open or close, such as a cover of a duplicator, a cover of a scanner, or a cover of a multifunctional peripheral.
In the case of a conventional hinge device in which a free stop function of allowing an opening or closing angle of a cover to be freely set within a predetermined range is made, the hinge devices have a problem that causes loud noises or does an injury to a user when closed, because the free stop section is short.
Further, in the case of a hinge device in which a damping function of allowing a cover to be closed slowly is made, the hinge device has a problem in that it is impossible to maintain an open state up to a desired section (angle).
Meanwhile, when the cover of the duplicator or the scanner is incidentally open, a copied or scanned state becomes bad. As such, it is important for the cover to be stably put into close contact with the main body without being incidentally open. However, in the related art, since the cover is prevented from being incidentally open using a separate locking device, this costs a lot, and makes operation complicated.